Last summer, Russian opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov was met by two plain-clothed police officers upon his arrival at London’s Luton Airport. Gudkov, who resides in exile in an EU country, had flown to the UK to attend a friend’s birthday. Instead of arresting him, the officers delivered a warning. They informed Gudkov that he was on a list of people considered at risk and inquired about his stay and communication methods.
Gudkov is a co-founder of the Anti-War Committee, an organization opposing Russia’s war in Ukraine. He is wanted in Russia for “spreading fakes” about the Russian military. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin launched a broad crackdown on dissent, driving many activists and independent journalists to flee the country. Now, critics living in Europe report intensified efforts by Russia to silence and intimidate them.
Analyst Mark Galeotti, who studies Russian security services, observes that the Kremlin’s campaign against perceived enemies abroad is escalating. “I think it reflects the growing paranoia of the Kremlin,” Galeotti says. “It is involved in an existential political struggle.”
With dissent largely suppressed within Russia, attention has shifted to opponents residing in the West. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s deputy head of the Security Council, has labeled these individuals as “traitors” seeking to harm their homeland. Ksenia Maximova, founder of the Russian Democratic Society in London, confirms an increase in pressure from Russian agents, including warnings from British police about traveling to certain countries. Maximova and her colleagues have also experienced a surge in cyberattacks.
The UK Counter Terrorism Policing has acknowledged the growing demand to address threats from hostile states, with new legislation in December expanding police powers to tackle such threats. A spokesperson noted that resources have been increased to counter state-related activities.
Threats have also targeted investigative journalist Alesya Marokhovskaya. Last year, Marokhovskaya received menacing messages, including details about her residence and travel plans. Initially, she suspected a local pro-Putin activist, but the threats grew more specific, indicating high-level access to personal information. Marokhovskaya, who had hoped for safety in Prague, now feels the reach of Russian intelligence extends even in Europe.
Experts suggest that the uptick in operations abroad follows a period of adjustment after numerous Russian diplomats, suspected of being intelligence agents, were expelled from Western countries. Andrei Soldatov, a Russian journalist, notes that after the confusion of 2022, Russian agencies have regrouped and intensified their activities.
Galeotti adds that the Kremlin is increasingly using proxies, including criminal gangs, to carry out operations against its critics. This approach, he says, involves engaging individuals from organized crime networks to intimidate or harm opponents.
The Polish government has implicated Russian intelligence in the recent brutal attack on Leonid Volkov, a prominent activist. According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a Belarusian working for Russian intelligence hired Polish football hooligans to carry out the assault.
Galeotti interprets these actions as a strategy to intimidate and deter political opposition. “It’s a way of keeping people in check,” he says, “to discourage the emergence of any coherent political opposition to the Kremlin.”